Chicago beverage companies donate 550 gallons of hand sanitizer to local hospitals, organizations

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In March, Koval Distillery started making hand sanitizer for local health care workers, retirement homes and first responders.

Now the Northside beverage company is providing sanitizer to hospitals and community organizations in need of supplies. This batch, however, was made from the beer of local breweries.

"We're doing an amazing collaboration with members of the brewing community in Chicago," Koval Distillery Co-Founder, Sonat Birnecker Hart said. "We've all come together to help make a difference."

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Some of the participating breweries include Metropolitan Brewery, Urban Renewal, Begyle Brewing, Great Central Brewing Company, Temperance Beer Co., and Goose Island. Together, their beer helped make more than 550 gallons of sanitizer.

"It just makes sense to try to help the people on the front lines of this situation as much as we can," said Doug Hurst, co-founder of Metropolitan Brewery. "The best way we can do that is by providing what we're good at doing, which is making beer that can be distilled into alcohol."

Recipients of the sanitizer include hospitals like Mt. Sinai Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital. As well as local organizations like Metropolitan Family Services, Clearbrook and El Valor.

"It is a huge deal to have all of this hand sanitizer. It literally saves lives," said Michelle Mazurek, Mt Sinai Hospital chief administrator.

Hospital medical staff, patients and visitors use the sanitizer daily. So getting a donation like this, is incredibly helpful.

"We've served our community for 100 plus years," Mazurek said. "We've always been for them, we've never asked for anything from them. This is the first time that we really needed help and they have come out."

"It takes a community," Birnecker Hart added. "One person can do something for sure, but when individuals come together and pull their resources, they can do so much more."

Jalyn Henderson is a Community Journalist at ABC 7 Chicago. She tells stories on the North Side of Chicago in neighborhoods like Uptown, Edgewater, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, West Ridge and Rogers Park. If you have a story to share in these neighborhoods you can send an email to Jalyn.L.Henderson@abc.com